Excavating system.



G. A. MORRIS.

EXQAVATING SYS TEM. APPLICATION TILED MAYBI, 1910.

1,002,732. P ten ed Sept. 5, 191-1.

[FIVEIITOR I v v a m9 3 72 molmrj G. A. MORRIS.-

EXGAVATINGSYSTBH. uruouxon mum In :11, M10.

Patented 8epu 5,1911.

a Bantu-sugar WIT-"E8858 iiihjqqn it may concern:

eHAnLEs A. MORRIS, or MoNTo'tAIR, new JERSEY.-

EXoAvArING SYSTEML.

nooavez.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1911.

lpplication filed May 31, 131d "Ls-infirm. 564,076.

:it imamum I,"C1-IA11Lns A. Mourns, 'OttlIeUnited States, residing in -1\l on;t(.:lair, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Excavating t ystem, of which the ,iollowing a specification.

I This invention is an excavating system emplpying an. aerial track on which travels the, cat'rh gewhich supports the shovel. In n. .ems of 'tl isrtype it has been customary =3 l to operate the carriage by power mechan sm,

but in the present invention I dispense with such mechanism and operate the carriage through the medium of the haul cable attached to the shovel.

- 3111 the system herein disclosed, theshovel n' rav Joe-suspended from a cab le or a boom, tindgmay be provided with. either one or two haul cables. sq as tobe capable of loading or ijlnloading eitherin one or both direc. ,tions. .Vtll' emtlie shovel is hoisted and it is, desired to conveythe same, pull or..tension j exerted on the liaul eable attached to the? resulting in the suspending 'c ablel forming. an acutejangle to the track in the d irection ilr, the shovel is being; l'nuiled', without imparting movement to the carriage. V V 1 hed however, depending on the load,? thelength of the suspendingcable, the-inclimition of the track, etc., a further pull on the haul. cable causes the carriage to, travel on the track. .It will thus be observed? that the haul cable serves not onlyto load, the shovel, but, also, to haul the carriage toi the place of unloading.

The system permits of shovels being loaded,- hauled and unloaded in one direction, and, if desired, to perform these operations also, while moving inan opposite dir ion, thereby permitting the. excised tlllttl to be deposited on either side of the cut, or taken from one side of the cut aiulJdeposited upon the other.

Harwell known type of shovel may be "ad. irnoperatingthe system, but I Q'shovel adapted to be loaded act'oulnauying drawings I have ent practical embodunents ed to travel on a boom, the shovel hen ,asc ert-ain acute angle is? on; but the construct-ionsshownthmiein areto be understood as illus trativd'onygand not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure -1 illustrates diagrammatically a cableway equipped with mechanism for operatinga shovel in either of two directions,'; the shovel being shown in the loading position fFig. 2 is an elevation of part of the systemshown in Fig. 1 with the shovel in a suspended and dumping position, 'Fig.

3 is an el eiration of another embodiment of the invention wherein the carriage is adaptem adaptediffordoading by hauling itilin eithe direction. 4 is a diagrammatic; view of another embodiment o fi 'tlielrinvention wherein the carriage is adaptedto. travel upon an inclined track of a cableway so as to move in one direction on said track by the force ofgravity, said system illustrating a type of shovel. adapted to b loaded at one end and, after being conveyed to the point of unloading, to be discharged at the same end at which it was loaded, 'Figs. 5 and 6 are views in side elevation and plan, respectively, illustrating a form of shovel adapted to be loaded at either end and to be unloaded at one' end only. I

In Figs. 1 and2nof. the drawings I have SlIOWIL a cableway embodying a cable, A, constituting an aericilftiiaclitfor a'earriage .or trolley,,B, the latter b' ing sha ashaving suitable wheels, 6, adapted-Y to run upon $5 said trackl As'is usual in the a rt thfaer al track extends between, and is supper-tabby,

towers, C, positioned at the respectivesides of the excavation, said-towers being shown as having carrying wheels, 0, adapted to run on tracks, 0', whereby the position of" the cableway' may be. shifted in the direction of the cut. It will be understood that the aerial' track spansthe excavation, and by employing portable towers the entire apparatus may be shifted in the direction of the length of thefcut as the excavation work progresses,

Carriage, B, is shown as having direct-ion sheaves, 7), over which runs a hoisting cable, D, one end of'said cable being attached to one of the towers,- as at d. The hoisting cable extendsfrom the point, (Z, of attachment to too one tower, thence extends over one pulley,

I charged f i'om the shovel, tension .is relaxed and beneatha fall block al, thence upwardly from the fall ends and adapted to be loaded at either end merit of connection, f, attached to cable,

' shovel from til-ting to an inclined dumping.

Z), bf the carriage, thence downwardly to block to and over another pulley, b, of the carriage, thence to and over a pulley, in the other tower, C, and thence downwardly to and around one drum, D, of a series ofdrums, D, E, F. Said drums are shown as being supported upon a base ofone tower, O, and they are adapted to be operated in any usual way from a motor or engine indicated generally by the reference character, G.

E designates an excavating shovel, one form of which is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, although it is not desired to limit the invention to any particular type of shovel, and for this reason I have shown a shovel of another type at E in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Shovel, E, employed in the excavating systems of Figs. 1 and 2 and Fig. 3 is, preferably, a shovel open at both by drawing the shovel in one direction or the other.' Said shovel, E, is suspended from fall bloclnd, by a bail, f, and by a connection, f, to be presently described.

a F designates a haul cable which is connected with shovel, E, for the" purpose of haulingsaid shovel in one direction while it is in contact with the ground, thereby loading said shovel with the material. Said cablc, F, runs over a sheave, f supported in one of the towers, G, and the cableis adapted to be coiled upoh -drnm, F, of the series of drums heretofore mentioned, whereb' the cable 'may operate the shovel to loa it. gable, F, is attached directly to one end of shovel, 'E, and secured to, this cable is one end of connection, f, which may be a chain or cable. The connection, f, runs beneath a pulley or sheave, f, rovided on shovel, E,the other end of set connection being attached to fall block, at. It will be noted that" shovel, E, has a suspending bail, f, attached thereto at or near one 1d,: at..- ing end of the shovel, while the connection, f, has runningengagement with the sho'vel and. is connectedfby pulley, near the other loading end of said shovel. Theemploy- F, and cotipcrafing with suspending bail, f, provides COIIVGIIiGIlfn'lt-BEllflHlSIIl for retain= rug the loaded shovel in a substantially'horizontal-ppsition when said shovel is hoisted and is being conveyed from. the loading point to'the spoil bank or other lace where the shovel is tobe unloaded. uring the operation of hoisting and cm yeyingthe loaded shovel, cable, is kept under ten sion i a thee-purpose of precluding the position, but when the load is to be dis-' on cable, F whereupon the connection, f,

.understood that the drums, D, E, F, are to over and in contact with a pulley, P, on. the

runs beneath sheave,'f and the shovel is Said cable, E is attached to the other end of shovel, E, from that end to which cable, F, is connected, said cable, E extending from the shovel in an opposite direction to cable, F, seBFig. 1. The cable, E passes around a sheave, 6, supported in the left hand tower, from said sheave cable, E runs across the excavation above the aerial track cable, A, and over a sheave in the right hand tower, G, and is finally coiled upon one of the operating drums of the series,

said drum being indicated at E. It will be be operated independently or jointly as may be demanded by the conditions of service, but in the construction of Figs. 1 and 2, it-is essential that when cable, F, is coiled on drum, F, to haul shovel, E, in one direction,

' cable, E'T, should'be paid out or'uncoiled from drum, E, and contrariwise, when tension is laced on cable, E?', by coiling it upon drum, cable, F, should be paid out by uncoiling it from drum, F, with this dis tinction, however, .that should the loaded shovel be hoisted above the ground and hauled toward the left in Fig. 1 by the operation of-cable, E ,'sufiicient tension must be kept on said cable, F, to preclude premature dumping of the load."

In Figs. .5 and 6 of the drawings, I have illustrated a practical construction of shovel, E, adapted'nto be loaded at either end by hauling it in one direction or'the other. Said shovel is shown as consisting of a bottom, e,'. and side walls, 6. The shovel is provided at its respective ends with reinforcing bands, e,'see F ig. 5, and across the top ofthetshovel are "bridge pieces, e e, operating as stays for the sides of the shovel. The shovel is closed at its bottom and two sides, but it is dpen at the two ends thereof and at the top. Haul cable, F, is attached. by suitable chains, 6 t'o one end portion of the shovel, whereasthe other haul cable, E is attached by chains, eflto the other end portion of the shovel, said ch in e, e",be ing shiftable up or down onthe respective end portions of the shovel for the purpose of regulating the depth of the out. The .suspending bail, f, is attached to the respective sine portions of the shovel near one end thereof. The flexible conneotion,f,r runs bridge bar, a", and below and incontact with a pulley, f, on the other bridge bar,

'0, the upper end of said flexible connection,

f, being attached tothe fall block as heretofore described. The pulley, F, is provided of the shovel,

purpose, mainly, of precluding cutf of flexible connection, f, when the :al is being dumped.

. operation of the system shown in, l. and 2 is as follows: Assuming that i over the cut, cables, D, F and toned. and shovel, E, is lowered ll'l with the ground. For cutting one direction and loading the shovel at one end thereof, cable, E is slackened and tension is applied to cable, F, by winding it lirpon drun'i, F. The shovel having been h" dad, :able, D, operated for hoisting .aud shovel. to the desired elevation, tension kept upon cable, F, in order to prethe flexible connection, f, from runbcneath sheave, f and precluding .iaturc dumping of the shovel. For hauling the loaded shovel toward the right in Fig. 1, cable, F, is coiled on drum, F, so to position that part' of hoistin cable, I), at an acute angle to the track ea le, and by continuing to coil cable, F, upon the '1 int, F, motion is imparted to the carby the pull of said cable, whereby the car lags andthc loaded shovel will be drawn tothc right and over the spoil bank shown said figure. Of course, the hoisting should be coiled on its drum at the th e that cable, F, is coiled on drum, ll, who cable, E, shouldbe blackened M otrt 1on ".cly to the movement of cable, :riage and shovel having been i to time place where it is desired to .t the material, tension on cable, F, chimed, thus relaxing the pull of rom'lection, f, on one end portion whereupon said shovel turns to an inclined position for the purpose, of la r the load from the opposite end at above] to that end in which the exi. ad imiterial was loaded. For hauling the carriage and empty shovel back to the cut, slackened on cable, F, and cable,

ed by coiling it upon its druIp -A anion thepull on cable, E changes of hoisting cable, I), with refer the track",'and movement is imto the carriage so as to return it to ion for oq mrating. The hoisting is ]")G1iil'G Il-t0 lower the shovel, and operations of cutting, loading, hgfisting conveying are resumed. For the pur- I of loading the shovel at the other end y cutting in an opposite direction, tension atju'ulied to cable, Ff, so as to draw it to- ,wari'l the left in Fig. 1, and when the. loaded raised by the operatign of the pa, tension is kept on cable, F, r of the shovel. Should di:s=;charged upon the it in Fig. 1, cable, F, E, slackcned as be that it de- 7 shovel toward the the proper height, cable, E is coiled on its drum, -E', for moving the hoisting cable at an acute angle to the track and toward 3 the left in Fig. 1, cable, F, being slackened slowly until movement is imparted to carriage, B, by the continued, pull of cable, E Said cable E is now wound on its drum, and cable, F, is unwound from its drum at practically the same speed so that cable, E will haul the loaded shovel to ward the left until said shovel reaches the place where the load is to be dumpeehbut cable, F, keeps tension on the flexible connection, f, duringthe operation. of conveying the shovel. When the shovel reaches the place of deposit. at the left ofFig. 1, tension on cables, F, E, is slackened so that the shovel is free to drop or tilt to the position shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the load isdischarged from the same end of the shovel at which it entered said shovel. The empty shovel and carriage may now be hauled back to the out by applying tension to cable, F.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings it is apparent that cable, F1, operates to load the shovel at one end, toimpart movement in one direction' to the carriage when the loaded shovel is suspended therefrom, and to control the dumping of said shovel. Furthermore, cable, E", operates to load the shovel at its other end and to haul the loaded shovel and carriage in an opposite direction, thus permitting the shovel to be hauled in one direction or other and to be loaded in the direction in which it is hauled. The cables, F, E, and hoisting cable, D, are all the cables required for operating the shovel under certain conditions, but there may arise ing the shovel. For example, when the car riage and shovel, are moved quite closefo one tower or the other, theinclina tio'rf'of the aerial track may be such that the shovel cannot-be unloaded easily and'quickly, and at this time I find it desirable to employ means for retaining the carriage in substantially fixed relation to the, track during the opera tionof dumping the shovel.

Various mechanical expcdicnts may be resorted to for retaining the carriage in substantially fixed relation to the aerial track, substantially as disclosed in a prior application filedby me on. April 29, 1999, Serial No. 492,882. One embodiment of means for 'b e connection, I".

ating drum, E, and hoisting cable, D. ex

mit the load and carriage to be moved in one direction or the other by cables, F or B, respectively, but the carriage and shovel having been moved to a position over the place where the load is to be discharged, the grip operates to make the carriage fast .With the aerial track, A, whereupon the cable, F, may be relaxed and the shovel dumped.

:In Fig. 3 of the drawings I have illustrated an excavating system embodying the same general principles as the systems of Figs. 1 and 2. In lieu of. a cable, A, t form the aerial'track I employ a boom, A, supported on a tower, C, and extending over the excavation. Orrthe aerial track formed by boom, A, is adapted to travel the car 'riago, B, having sheaves for a hoisting cable, D, one end of said cable being attached to the outer end of the boom. The hoisting cable has a shovel, E, suspended therefrom, and to this shovel are attached cables, F, E The shovel shown in Fig. 3

is similar to the shovels of Figs. 1, 2, 5, and 6 and said shovel is controlled by the flexi Cable, F, extends to an operating drum, F, cable, E extends around apulley, e", at the .outer end'of the boom and thence over a pulley, e, to opertends to a winding drum, D, by which the shovel may be raised and lowered. In the excavating system employing a boom it is not necessary, to use means for locking the carr age on sand boom, but 1n other respects higher end of the cable being supported in the system of 3 is constructed and operated as hereinbe ore described.

The excavating system illustrated in Fig. 4 embodies an aerial track formed by a cable, A, one end. of which is attached to an anchorage, I, of the kind known in the art as a dead man. Said aerial track, A occupies an inclined position over the out, the

a :tower, C Carriage, B is fitted to the aerial track to run in one direction by gravity, but said carriage and the load are adapted to hauled in an'opposite direction by cable, The carriage is'equipped with the sheaves for guiding hoisting ca le, i one end of which is secured to anchorage, Said. l'niiisting cable has the fall block, cl, it runs to the right fromthe carriage over a sheave, (Z in the tower and is coiled upon a. drum, D. Shovel, E is of the usual type adapted to be loadedat one end and to be unloaded at the same end, and in this form of the invention, said shovel is closed at the rear end and open at its front loading and unloading end. The shovel is shown as suspended by a bail, j, connected to fall block, d, and said bail or fall block is shown as having a sheave, j, over'which runs a flexible cable or chain, J, one end of which isattached to haul cable, F, and the other end to shovel, E near the front end thereof. In operation the system of Fig.

4 requires means for locking carriage, B on the inclined cable track, and this retaining or locking mechanism maybe the grip, H, and cable, H, of Figi 1, but, preferably, said retaining mechanism is embodied in an endless cable, K, and a friction drumQK, for controlling said endless cable, all as'disclosed in my Patent No. 949,961, granted i February 22, 1910. The carriage controlling cable has one end-attached to carriage, B, then extends toward the left. around a sheave, 70, attached to anchorage, I, thence,

contact with the ground and tension is applied to cable, F, for the purpose of loading the shovel. The loaded shovel is. hoisted by the operation of cable, D and tension iskept on cable, F, to preclude dumping of the load. By winding said'cable, F, upon its drum, F, the loaded shovel and hoisting cable are moved at an acute angle to the track, and the pull of said hoisting cable moves the carriage and the loaded shovel to.

a position over the spoil bank. The brake is applied to friction drum, K, to restrain cable, K, from movement and to return the carriage in a fixed position, and by relaxing tension ;31pon cable, F, the flexible connection, J, allows the shovel to tilt to a dumpin position. By releasing drum, K', and ca le, F, the carriage and shovel are adapteg, to descend by gravity-along the incline aerial track, A but when the carriage reaches the place where the shovel is to be loaded, drum, K, is held from rotation, and the carriage is retained in position by endless cable, K.

While I have shown and described the system as adapted for excavating work, it is 

